Combine harvester draper header with floor pan rearward of central draper

ABSTRACT

A harvesting header includes a header frame, a cutterbar assembly mounted to the header frame, and a conveyor assembly supported behind the cutterbar assembly to receive crop severed by the cutterbar assembly. The conveyor assembly includes a pair of side conveyors and a fore-and-aft draper located between the side conveyors. The header further includes a central crop-conveying member that overhangs the rear margin of the fore-and-aft draper and a floor pan that at least partly defines a transition area. The floor pan presents a forwardmost edge adjacent to and rearward of the rear margin. The forwardmost edge is located above a lower run of the draper to direct severed crop materials from the upper run of the draper and to facilitate crop material flow through the transition area.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/281,564, filed Oct. 26, 2011, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/085,376, filed Apr. 12, 2011, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/609,932, filed Oct. 30,2009, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/324,053,filed Nov. 26, 2008, which is a continuation application that is relatedto and claims the priority benefit of prior U.S. application Ser. No.11/670,295, filed Feb. 1, 2007, which claims priority of priorProvisional Application No. 60/771,981, filed Feb. 10, 2006, all ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference into the presentspecification.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to harvesting equipment and, more particularly,to a draper header adapted for attachment to a combine harvester whereinthe header is provided with a flexible cutterbar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a left front isometric view of an embodiment of a draperheader having a flexible cutterbar in accordance with the principles ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a left side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, rear isometric view of the header;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, front isometric view of a portion of the leftend of the header illustrating details of construction;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary fore-and-aft cross-sectional view through theheader illustrating the four-bar arm supporting linkage for thecutterbar;

FIG. 6 is a left end elevational view of the header with drive mechanismand the end panel removed to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 7 is a fore-and-aft cross-sectional view through the centralportion of the header showing the center draper thereof;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of the central portion of theheader with structure removed to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 9 is a bottom, right front isometric view of the center draper;

FIG. 10 is a left, front isometric view of an alternative embodiment ofa draper header having a flexible cutterbar and flexible draper inaccordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a right, rear isometric view thereof;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary, top plan view of the header of FIG. 10 withportions of the header removed and broken away to reveal details ofconstruction;

FIG. 13 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the header of FIG.10 taken substantially along line 13-13 of FIG. 12 with the header in afully lowered position;

FIG. 14 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the header of FIG.10 similar to FIG. 13 but showing the header in a fully raised position;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary, bottom isometric view of the right end of thecutterbar assembly showing details of construction;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged, fragmentary, transverse cross-sectional viewthrough the front of the header of FIG. 10 illustrating the relationshipbetween the draper assembly and the cutterbar assembly;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view through the attachment couplingbetween the front end of the draper assembly and the proximal groundskid taken substantially along line 17-17 of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the header of FIG.10 taken along a sight line passing through the central conveyor thereofand showing the header fully lowered;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIG.18 with the header fully lowered;

FIG. 20 is a fragmentary, right front isometric view of the centralconveyor of the header of FIG. 10 with portions of the header removed toreveal details of construction;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged, fragmentary, left rear isometric view of theheader of FIG. 10 showing the mounting adaptor frame of the header; and

FIG. 22 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view of one of theupright mounting members of the header frame and associated support armsof the header of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms. While the drawings illustrate and the specification describescertain preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understoodthat such disclosure is by way of example only. There is no intent tolimit the principles of the present invention to the particulardisclosed embodiments. References hereinafter made to certaindirections, such as, for example, “front”, “rear”, “left” and “right”,are made as viewed from the rear of the machine looking forwardly.

Header 10 has a frame at the rear thereof that includes an upper beamassembly 12 extending across the entire width of header 10, and a lowerbeam assembly 14 that likewise extends across the full width of header10. A number of upright channels 16 interconnect beam assemblies 12, 14across the backside of header 10 at spaced locations thereacross.Upright rear panels 18 on the front sides of channels 16 define anupright rear wall of the header, while a centrally located opening 20 insuch panels serves as a crop outlet from header 10 to the feeder housing(not shown) of a combine harvester upon which header 10 may be mounted.Header 10 is also provided with left and right end panels 19.

Lower beam assembly 14 carries a number of arm assemblies 22 thatproject forwardly from beam assembly 12 at spaced locations along thelength thereof. Each arm assembly 22 could comprise a single arm or, inanother form of the invention as shown, a four-bar linkage having anupper link 24 and a lower link 26 that are respectively connected attheir front ends by pivots 28 and 30 to a skid plate 32. Links 24, 26are pivotally connected at their rear ends to support assemblies 23 byrear pivots 25 and 27, respectively (FIG. 5). Arm assemblies 22 arebiased yieldably upwardly by suitable biasing means, which in theillustrated embodiment comprises a compression spring assembly 29 (FIG.5).

In some instances, such as at the opposite ends of the header 10, only asingle one of the arm assemblies 22 is attached to a skid plate 32,while in other portions of the header two or more of the arm assemblies22 may be attached to a single skid plate 32. As illustrated in FIG. 4,adjacent ones of the skid plates 32 are hingedly interconnected by a web34 of flexible material that spans the interface between adjacent skidplates 32 and is secured to such skid plates by suitable fasteners.A-frame assemblies 36 (FIG. 4) are provided in association with the twoleftmost skid plates 32 to assist in providing structural support forsickle drive mechanism as hereinafter described.

A continuous, full length, flexible cutterbar 38 constructed of flatplate metal extends across the front of header 10 for its full width.Cutterbar 38 is secured to the front extremities of skid plates 32 bymounting lugs 40. Carriage bolts 42 at the front ends of lugs 40 attachthe same to cutterbar 38, while the rear ends of lugs 40 are secured toskids 32 by suitable fastening means not shown.

A series of side-by-side sickle guards 44 are bolted to the front edgeof cutterbar 38 and project forwardly therefrom along the full lengthcutterbar 38. A representative number of sickle guards 44 areillustrated on the cutterbar 38 in FIG. 1. A reciprocating sickleassembly 46 is carried by guards 44 for severing standing crop materialsfrom the ground as header 10 is advanced.

Header 10 may be provided with either a single such full-length sickleassembly 46 or with a split sickle assembly comprising two separatesickle assemblies that are driven by two separate mechanisms at oppositeends of header 10. As is well known in the art, sickle assembly 46 mayinclude a generally rectangular in cross section sickle bar 48 on whichare secured a number of side-by-side knife sections 50.

A pair of left and right, center delivery draper assemblies 52 and 54are located behind cutterbar 38 in disposition for receiving severedcrop materials from sickle assembly 46 and moving such materials towardthe center of header 10. Drapers 52, 54 are spaced apart near the centerof header 10 to define a generally rectangular in plan receiving opening56 for crop materials from drapers 52, 54. Each draper assembly 52, 54comprises a wide, flat, endless draper belt that is looped around a pairof fore-and-aft rollers at opposite ends of the assembly. FIG. 6illustrates such a draper belt 58 wrapped around an outboard roller 60at one end of the endless belt 58. The other, inboard roller of leftdraper assembly 52 is not visible in the drawings, but such an inboardroller 62 is visible in FIG. 7 in connection with right draper assembly54. Each pair of rollers 60, 62 is supported at its front end by aformed, generally Z-shaped, transversely extending member 64 and at itsrear end by a transversely extending formed member 66 secured to therear frame of header 10. In addition, header 10 has a full width,generally Z-shaped support channel 68 extending the full width of header10. A feather plate 70, which may be constructed in one or moresections, is attached to the rear edge of cutterbar 38 and extendsupwardly and rearwardly therefrom to provide a transition for severedcrop materials from sickle assembly 46 to drapers 52 and 54. The rearextremity of feather plate 70 is supported on a forwardly projectingportion of the Z-shaped support member 64 of each draper assembly 52,54.

A relatively short, center draper assembly 72 is disposed withinreceiving opening 56 for taking delivery of severed materials from leftand right draper assemblies 52, 54 and feeding the materials upwardlyand rearwardly through central opening 20 into the feederhouse of thecombine harvester. As illustrated particularly in FIGS. 7 and 9, centerdraper assembly 72 includes a pair of transversely extending rolls 74and 76 that are spaced apart in a fore-and-aft direction and are wrappedby an endless draper belt 78. Preferably, draper belt 78 is slatted, asare the draper belts 58 of left and right draper assemblies 52, 54. Apair of laterally spaced apart, fore-and-aft extending channels 80support the rolls 74, 76 and are, in turn, supported at their rear endsby lower beam assembly 14 and at their front ends by transverse supportchannel 68. A downwardly and rearwardly inclined ramp plate 82 leadsfrom the rear extremity of feather plate 70 in the region of receivingopening 56 into overlapping relationship with the front extremity ofcenter draper 72 for assisting in guiding materials that have beensevered by the central portion of sickle assembly 46 into the centerdraper assembly 72. A center-gathering auger 84 spans receiving opening56 above the latter and in front of discharge opening 20 at the rear ofcenter draper assembly 72 for consolidating crop materials from draperassemblies 52, 54 and 72 into a relatively low profile mat that can behandled by the conveying mechanism of the feederhouse into which thematerials are fed.

Header 10 is preferably adapted to be attached directly to the front endof the feederhouse of a combine harvester. However, one alternativeembodiment would be for header 10 to be mounted upon an adapter whichis, in turn, attached to the feederhouse. Such an adapter would have itsown center draper, as well as overhead auger, in which event the centerdraper 82 and overhead auger 84 associated with header 10 of the presentinvention would not be utilized. It is also contemplated that a draperheader may be connected directly to the feederhouse and have a rigidcutterbar rather than a flexible cutterbar.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, upper beam assembly 12 is provided withdownwardly opening mounting pockets 86 that are adapted to matinglyreceive corresponding upwardly projecting mounting structure on thefeederhouse. Rests 88 on top beam assembly 12 are disposed rearwardlyadjacent pockets 86 for engaging top surface structure on thefeederhouse to assist in supporting header 10 on the combine harvester.A pair of rearwardly projecting guides 90 (FIG. 3) are disposed adjacentrests 88 and slightly outboard therefrom for the purpose of embracingopposite sides of the feederhouse and aligning central opening 20 withthe mouth of the feederhouse. Multiple sets of receiving sockets 92 aredisposed below central opening 20 in association with lower beamassembly 14 for receiving mounting projections on the feederhouse in anarrangement that depends upon the particular brand of combine harvesterto which header 10 is mounted.

The operating components of header 10 may be driven in any number ofsuitable ways. A variety of different mechanical and/or hydraulic drivesystems could be utilized. In the particular illustrated embodiment, atransverse jackshaft 94 (FIG. 3) at the rear of header 10 receives inputdriving power in an appropriate manner from the combine harvester uponwhich header 10 is mounted. Driving power from jackshaft 94 is broughtto the front of the machine by a belt and pulley assembly 96 on left endpanel 19, which assembly 96 is operably coupled with a suitablemechanical sickle drive mechanism 98 as illustrated in FIG. 2. Sickledrive mechanism 98 is drivingly coupled with sickle assembly 46.Although not illustrated herein, it will be understood that draperassemblies 52, 54 and 72, as well as overhead auger 84, may behydraulically or mechanically driven by suitable drive systems.

Operation

It is contemplated that in most operations header 10 will ride lightlyalong the ground with skids 32 engaging the surface of the ground.Suitable flotation springs (not shown) are preferably coupled with thefeederhouse in such a way that the combined weight of the feederhouseand header 10 is carried in large measure by such flotation springs.Hydraulic means may be utilized in lieu of mechanical springs. On theother hand, if an adapter is used between the feederhouse and header 10,such adapter may be attached rigidly to the feederhouse and theflotation means provided between the adapter and the header. It is alsocontemplated that header 10 might be locked in an elevated position offthe ground for harvesting crops that do not require the sickle assembly46 to sever the materials close to the ground.

Assuming that header 10 is in its flotation mode rather than locked upfor more elevated severance, skids 32 ride along the surface of theground. As changes in terrain are encountered by different ones of theskids 32, their respective support arm assemblies 22 swing downwardly orupwardly as the case may be to maintain the skid in contact with theground. Cutterbar 38 flexes as necessary to accommodate such upward ordownward ground-hugging action, as does sickle assembly 46, withoutinterfering with the reciprocating motion of sickle assembly 46 and theeffective cutting action occurring between knife sections 50 and guards44. A typical range of flexing motion is illustrated in FIG. 5.

As the crop materials are severed by sickle assembly 46, they fall ontothe drapers 52 and 54 to be delivered centrally in a gentle manner toreceiving opening 56 and onto rearwardly moving center draper 72.Although the particular disclosed embodiment contemplates that the frontextremity of side drapers 52 and 54 will remain stationary relative tothe flexing cutterbar 38, it is within the principles of the presentinvention that the front extremities of side drapers 52 and 54 maylikewise flex along with proximal portions of cutterbar 38.

As a result of the construction as herein above described, crops such assoybeans which require severance at the base of the plants can bereadily handled by header 10. Furthermore, once severed from the ground,they will be gently consolidated by drapers 52, 54 and 72 and presentedto the feederhouse of the combine harvester for further processing. Itwill be appreciated that although not shown in the drawings, header 10may be provided with an overhead reel for assisting in gently sweepingthe crop materials into and against the reciprocating sickle 46 forseverance.

Alternative Embodiment

FIGS. 10-22 disclose details of a header 100 wherein the left and rightdraper assemblies, as well as the center conveyor assembly, flex up anddown with the cutterbar assembly. Referring initially to FIGS. 10 and11, header 100 has an upright frame 102 at the rear thereof thatincludes an upper, transverse beam 104 extending across the entire widthof header 100, and a lower, transverse beam 106 that is likewise fulllength and extends across the full width of header 100. A plurality ofupright frame members 108 interconnect beams 104, 106 at spacedlocations across the back of header 100. Upright panels 110 are securedto the front edges of members 108 to define an upright rear wall ofheader 100. A centrally located opening 112 between a pair of theinboard upright frame members 108 serves as a crop outlet from header100 to a combine feederhouse (not shown) upon which header 100 may bemounted. Header 100 is also provided with left and right end panelassemblies 114 and 116 respectively.

A pair of left and right support arms 118, 120 project forwardly fromupper beam 104 adjacent opposite ends thereof for supporting aharvesting reel (not shown for clarity) in overlying relationship to thefront edge of header 100. The reel is adjustably shiftable fore-and-aftalong arms 118 as well understood by those skilled in the art and isdriven by a drive assembly 122 carried on right arm 120.

Referring now to FIG. 12 and others, each upright frame member 108 hasan arm 124 pivotally attached thereto about a transverse pivot 126 (seealso FIG. 22) and projecting forwardly therefrom to the front extremityof the header. At their front ends, arms 124 are coupled with a flexiblecutterbar assembly 128 that extends the full width of the header and isadapted for severing standing crop materials from the ground while alsoflexing along its length to accommodate changes in the terrain asencountered by different portions of the header. By virtue of theirpivots 126, arms 124 are adapted to swing up and down with cutterbarassembly 128 as it flexes during harvesting operations.

Cutterbar assembly 128 includes a long, flat cutterbar 130 extendingacross the full width of header 100 and capable of flexing along itslength. Cutterbar 130 has a series of sickle guard assemblies 132 boltedthereto along its front edge by bolts 134 for reciprocably supportingeither a single, full-length sickle bar 136 or a double sicklecomprising a pair of half-length sickle bars that extend onlyapproximately one-half the width of the header and overlap in thecenter, all in a well-known manner. In the particular illustratedembodiment, a double sickle is illustrated, with each sickle bar 136being driven by its own separate drive mechanism at one end of theheader. The right sickle bar half has its own drive 150 (FIGS. 12 and15), while the left sickle bar half has its own separate drive 151(FIGS. 13, 14 and 18). As is well known, the sickle bars 136 areprovided with knife sections that cooperate with the guard assemblies132 to sever standing crop as the header advances through the field.

Cutterbar assembly 128 also includes a transversely extending series offore-and-aft ground-engaging skids 138 across the width of header 100that are connected at their front ends with guard assemblies 132 via thebolts 134. Skids 138 extend rearwardly and downwardly from theirconnection points with the guard assemblies 132 and underlie the frontends of support arms 124. Skids 138 are slightly spaced apart along thelength of the header as shown in FIG. 12 so as to assure theirindependent movement relative to one another as changes in terrain areencountered across the width of the header. Flexible hinging webs (notshown) may be used to interconnect adjacent skids 138 if desired.

Each arm 124 is connected at its forward end with a corresponding skid138 by a coupling 140 (shown in detail in FIGS. 16 and 17), which servesas the means by which arms 124 are connected to cutterbar assembly 128.Each coupling 140 includes amounting component 142 fixed to thecorresponding skid 138 and having an inverted, U-shaped looped bodyportion having a rigid collar 144 fixed interiorly thereof. Coupling 140further includes a pivot bolt 146 projecting forwardly from the frontend of the corresponding arm 124 and received within the recess or boreof collar 144. A resilient bushing unit 148 surrounds pivot bolt 146within collar 144 so as to provide a limited amount of relative movementbetween the arm 124 and skid 138 in several directions during flexing ofcutterbar assembly 128.

Cutterbar assembly 128 further includes a series of rectangular, slopingsupport panels 154 (FIGS. 12 and 16) along the rear edge of cutterbar130 over the full width of the header (with the exception of the centerconveyor yet-to-be described). Panels 154 overlie the front ends of thearms 124 and are attached by bolts 156 along their front edges to atransverse series of generally Z-shaped, formed members 158. Members158, in turn, are secured at their front extremities to the rear edge ofcutterbar 130 by bolts 160. Bolts 156 also serve to attach and support aseries of slightly Z-shaped hold down elements 161 to the members 158for the purpose of partially overlying and holding down the front edgesof belts of the draper assemblies as hereinafter explained in moredetail.

Each of the arms 124 can pivot independently of the others about its ownrear pivot 126. However, all of the arms 124 are also floatinglysupported by a common flotation system broadly denoted by the numeral162 for lightening the load on the skids 138. Such flotation systemcould take a number of different forms such as, for example, springs,air bags, or hydraulic cylinders.

Each arm 124 has a rearwardly projecting extension 164 to which theselected type of flotation device may be attached. Extension 164 isfixed to a transversely extending hub 166 that receives pivot 126 and isfixed to the rear end of the arm 124. A pair of end-to-end, resilientbushing units 167 (FIG. 22) are housed within hub 166 and surround pivotbolt 126. In the particular embodiment disclosed herein, extension 164at its rearmost extremity has a hydraulic, fluid pressure flotationcylinder 168 secured thereto, which is, in turn, connected at its upperend to the corresponding upright member 108.

In a preferred embodiment, flotation cylinders 168 are single-actingcylinders arranged such that as cylinders 168 are extended by hydraulicpressure, they force extensions 164 downwardly and thus the front endsof arms 124 upwardly, tending to lift or lighten cutterbar assembly 128.In one preferred embodiment, flotation cylinders 168 are connected in aparallel fluid flow relationship with a source of hydraulic pressure(not shown) such that, while all of the cylinders 168 are exposed to thesame pressure, movement of one cylinder such as during flexing of thecutterbar assembly 128 does not necessarily result in movement of aneighboring cylinder 168. The flotation system may be such that arms 24may be hydraulically locked in a raised position as shown in FIGS. 14and 16 with skids 138 off the ground to permit crop severance at anelevated level. As an alternative to the hydraulic lock, suitablemechanical means may also be provided.

As illustrated, for example, in FIG. 10, draper mechanism for header 100includes a pair of left and right, center discharge draper assemblies170 and 172 located between cutterbar assembly 128 and frame 102. Draperassemblies 170, 172 are driven in opposite directions in such a mannerthat they are adapted to feed severed crop material laterally in aninboard direction toward a central discharge opening 174 betweenopposite inboard ends of draper assemblies 170,172.

Using right draper assembly 172 as an example, each draper assembly 170,172 includes a pair of opposite end rollers 176 and 178 (FIG. 12)extending generally fore-and-aft between the rear wall panels 110 andcutterbar assembly 128. Rollers 176, 178 lie in the same plane as,extend parallel to, and are supported by their next adjacent arms 124.For example, with respect to inboard roller 178, the adjacent arm 124has a pair of front and rear brackets 180 and 182 adjacent oppositefore-and-aft ends thereof that rotatably support roller 178. At theouter end of draper assembly 172, the outermost arm 124 supports drive150, but the next inboard arm 124 has a pair of transversely extending,telescopically adjustable, cantilevered bars 184 and 186 that rotatablysupport opposite ends of roller 176. Bars 184, 186 can be adjustablylengthened or shortened by appropriately turning an operating rod 190having a rack and pinion type coupling with bars 184, 186, all of whichis for the purpose of adjusting the tension of draper assembly 172.

The outboard roller 176 is driven by a drive mechanism 192 that includesa pair of intermeshing bevel gears 194 and 196 that permit roller 176 toswing up and down with its supporting arm 124 about the pivot 126 ofthat arm without disengaging drive mechanism 192. Drive mechanism 192 isoperably coupled with an input drive shaft 198 that extends across theright rear portion of header 100, which drive shaft 198 is also operablycoupled with sickle drive 150 for the purpose or providing operatingpower to right draper assembly 172 and the right sickle bar half. Asimilar drive shaft 200 extends across the left rear half of header 100(FIG. 11) for supplying driving power to left draper assembly 170 andthe left sickle bar half.

Each draper assembly 170, 172 further includes an endless, flexibledraper belt 202 entrained around opposite end rollers 176, 178 andpresenting an upper run 202 a and a lower run 202 b. The upper run 202 aof each belt 202 overlies all of the arms 124 associated with the draperassembly (except for the most outboard arm 124 that supports the drivefor the corresponding sickle bar half), while the lower run 202 bunderlies such arms 124. Thus, all of the arms 124 associated with eachdraper assembly are disposed within the draper belt 202, with theexception of the most outboard arm 124. The support panels 154 underliethe front portions of the draper belt 202 to assist in keeping belt 202from sagging between arms 124 to a detrimental extent.

Draper belt 202 has a plurality of elongated, laterally spaced apart,fore-and-aft extending slats 204 thereon for increasing the feedingability of belt 202. An upstanding, continuous rib 206 (FIGS. 16 and 19)is formed on the exterior surface of belt 202 adjacent the leading edgethereof and forwardly of the terminations of slats 204 for assisting inkeeping belt 202 positioned properly in a fore-and-aft sense on rollers176, 178. It will be seen that the hold down elements 161 overlie thefront edge of belt 202 as illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 19 to likewiseassist in properly maintaining the position of belt 202 on rolls 176,178 and for providing a cover or shield over the front edge of belt 202where crop materials might otherwise enter and fall through.

The discharge opening 174 between left and right draper assemblies 170,172 is provided with a fore-and-aft conveyor 208 that receives severedmaterials from draper assemblies 170, 172 and transports them rearwardlytoward outlet opening 112 in header frame 102. Conveyor 208 is disposedlower than draper assemblies 170, 172 so severed materials always droponto conveyor 208 upon leaving draper assemblies 170, 172. Conveyor 208is adapted to move up and down at its front end with the flexingcutterbar assembly 128 and proximal portions of draper assemblies 170,172 so as to maintain a constant recessed relationship with the proximalinboard ends of draper assemblies 170, 172, notwithstanding changes inthe terrain.

Conveyor 208 includes a pair of fore-and-aft extending, laterally spacedapart side plates 210 (FIGS. 18, 19 and 20) that rotatably support apair of front and rear rollers 212 and 214 respectively. Additionally,conveyor 208 includes an endless, flexible belt 216 entrained aroundrollers 212, 214 and having a series of crop-engaging slats 218 thereon.A formed metal panel 220 spans the two side plates 210 between rollers212, 214 and inside of conveyor 208 to help rigidify the assembly and toprevent untoward sagging of the top run 216 a of belt 216. The reardrive shaft 222 associated with rear roller 214 is rotatably supportedin a fixed position relative to lower beam 106 by mounting lugs 224(FIG. 20) fixed to beam 106. Bearing assemblies 226 in the two sideplates 210 rotatably receive drive shaft 222 and permit conveyor 208 topivot up and down about the axis of drive shaft of 222. A floor panel228 of conveyor 208 extends between side plates 210 below the lower run216 b of belt 216 and projects forwardly beyond side plates 210 forconnection with a number of the ground skids 138 via sliding connections230 (FIG. 19). Thus, when the skids 138 associated with the front end ofconveyor 208 encounter terrain changes, conveyor 208 swings up or downas the case may be about the axis of rear drive shaft 222.

The rear end of conveyor 208 terminates just forwardly of the dischargeoutlet 112 within header frame 102 (FIGS. 18 and 20). A stationary floorpan 232 (FIG. 18) within discharge outlet 112 extends rearwardly fromthe rear end of conveyor 208 to a point rearwardly of header frame 102.Pan 232 thus serves as a transition surface for flow of crop materialsfrom header 100 into the front end of a feederhouse (not shown) on thecombine to which header 100 is attached. A center-gathering, transverseauger 234 is disposed within outlet opening 112 and partially overliesboth the rear end of conveyor 208 and transition floor pan 232 to helpcompress and feed the flow of materials rearwardly through outletopening 112 and into the feederhouse. Left and right, oppositelyinclined vanes 236 and 238 on the tube 240 of auger 234 help with thesefunctions and also help consolidate the materials centrally. A driveshaft 242 within tube 240 of auger 234 is operably connected with adrive line 244 (FIGS. 11 and 21) carried by a pair of the uprightmembers 208 on the left side of outlet opening 112, which drive line 244is in turn operably coupled with the left input drive shaft 200 acrossthe rear of header frame 102.

Header 100 is adapted for attachment to the feederhouse of a combinethrough the provision of an adaptor frame or bracket 246 (FIGS. 2, 20and 21) that is permanently attached to the rear of header frame 102 ingenerally surrounding relationship to outlet opening 112. Adaptorbracket 246 is of rectangular, open box-like construction, presenting ahorizontally extending top beam 248, a horizontally extending bottombeam 250, and a pair of left and right, generally upright side beams 252and 254 respectively. Side beams 252, 254 rigidly interconnect top andbottom beams 248 and 250. Side beams 252, 254 are situated on oppositelateral sides of outlet opening 112, while top and bottom beams 248, 250are situated above and below opening 112.

Adaptor bracket 246 is permanently attached to the rear of header frame102 by a pair of left and right pivots 256 and 258 extending betweenside beams 252, 254 and the upright frame members 108 adjacent outletopening 112. Pivots 256, 258 are located generally midway between theupper and lower extremities of side beams 252, 254. One or moreturnbuckles or the like (not shown) may be provided between lugs 260 ontop beam 248 and lugs 261 on upper beam 104 of header frame 102 for thepurpose of allowing the angular relationship between adaptor frame 246and header frame 102 to be adjusted. Thus, when adaptor frame 246 issecured to the feederhouse of a combine, the tilt of the header 100 canbe adjusted relative to the feederhouse by correspondingly adjusting theturnbuckles.

Top beam 248 is provided with mounting pockets 263 (FIG. 18) similar tothe mounting pockets associated with the first embodiment for matinglyreceiving corresponding upwardly projecting mounting structure on thefeederhouse. A pair of rearwardly projecting guides 262 are fixed torespective ones of the side beams 252, 254 just below top beam 248 forthe purpose of embracing opposite sides of the feederhouse and aligningoutlet opening 112 with the mouth of the feederhouse. Multiple sets ofreceiving sockets 264 (FIG. 21) are located within bottom beam 250 forreceiving corresponding mounting projections on the feederhouse in anarrangement that depends upon the particular brand of combine harvesterto which header 100 is attached.

Operation

Header 100 may be operated either in a lowered position (FIG. 13) inwhich ground skids 138 ride lightly along the ground, or in a raisedposition (FIG. 14) in which skids 138 are out of contact with theground. In the raised condition, which is more suitable for harvestingtaller, small grain crops, the flexibility of cutterbar assembly 128 isnot an issue as all parts of cutterbar assembly 128 are maintainedconstantly at the same height. Left and right draper assemblies 170,172, and center conveyor 208 are disposed in raised positions likecutterbar assembly 128 inasmuch as the front ends of draper assemblies170, 172 and conveyor 208 are all connected to cutterbar assembly 128.As noted earlier, cutterbar assembly 128 may be held in its selectedraised position either hydraulically through suitable hydraulic lockmechanism in association with flotation cylinders 168 or mechanicallythrough means not illustrated, or a combination of both.

Assuming that header 100 is being operated in its lowered position withskids 138 engaging the ground, the flotation system 162, includingcylinders 168, lightens the load on skids 138 to the extent selected bythe operator. As skids 138 encounter rises or depressions, they areeither lifted by the rise or allowed to drop into the depression as thecase may be. Different portions of cutterbar assembly 128 are allowed toreact to changes differently than other portions inasmuch as supportarms 124 are free to pivot upwardly about the rear pivots 126 generallyindependently of one another. Corresponding portions of the left andright draper assemblies 170, 172 also flex upwardly or downwardly inconcert with proximal portions of the cutterbar assembly 128 so as tomaintain a constant height relationship between cutterbar assembly 128and left and right draper assemblies 170, 172. The front end of centralconveyor 208 also flexes upwardly and downwardly with its correspondingportions of the cutterbar assembly 128 to stay in a constant heightrelationship therewith.

Consequently, draper assemblies 170, 172 and center conveyor 208 arealways in an appropriate position to receive materials cut by sickle bar136 or materials that might be knocked free of their stems duringseverance and engagement by the reel. Moreover, it will be appreciatedthat the distance between the cutoff point at sickle bar 136 and thefront edge of draper assemblies 170, 172 is shorter than is the case,for example, with respect to a construction wherein the draperassemblies do not flex with the cutterbar. In the header 100, thetransition area between sickle bar 136 and draper assemblies 170, 172can be relatively short because cutterbar assembly 128 and draperassemblies 170, 172 are all moving up and down together. Thus, less croploss can be expected, better feeding and control of the severedmaterials can be obtained, and productivity is increased. Moreover, theoverall front-to-rear dimensions of header 100 can be decreased comparedto conventional designs, which provides numerous efficiencies inmanufacturing and transport.

The inventor(s) hereby state(s) his/their intent to rely on the Doctrineof Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope ofhis/their invention as pertains to any apparatus not materiallydeparting from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set outin the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A harvesting header operable to harvest acrop, said harvesting header operable to be supported by a feederhousethat presents an open end configured to receive severed crop materials,said harvesting header comprising: a header frame operable to be mountedto the feederhouse; a cutterbar assembly mounted to the header frame toextend lengthwise in a lateral direction relative to the normaldirection of travel of the header; a conveyor assembly supported on theheader frame behind the cutterbar assembly to receive crop severed bythe cutterbar assembly, said conveyor assembly including a pair of sideconveyors and a fore-and-aft draper located between the side conveyors,said side conveyors configured to receive severed crop materials fromthe cutterbar assembly and convey the materials laterally to thefore-and-aft draper, said fore-and-aft draper presenting upper and lowerruns, with the upper run being configured to move the severed cropmaterials rearwardly, said fore-and-aft draper presenting a rear margindefined at the rearmost junction of the upper and lower runs, said rearmargin spaced forwardly from the open end of the feederhouse when theheader frame is mounted thereto, with a transition area being definedbetween the rear margin and the open end, said header frame presenting adischarge opening aligned with the open end of the feederhouse when theheader frame is mounted thereto, with the transition area extendingthrough the discharge opening; and a central crop-conveying memberrotatably mounted relative to the header frame for rotation about alateral axis to consolidate severed crop materials from the sideconveyors and the fore-and-aft draper into a low-profile mat, with themember operable to feed the mat rearwardly along the transition area,said crop-conveying member overhanging the rear margin of thefore-and-aft draper; and a floor pan that at least partly defines thetransition area and presents a forwardmost edge adjacent to and spacedrearwardly of the rear margin, said forwardmost edge being located abovethe lower run to direct severed crop materials from the upper run and tofacilitate crop material flow through the transition area.
 2. Theharvesting header as claimed in claim 1, said header frame includingupper and lower beams that cooperatively present an upright framecenterline axis, said lateral axis being spaced forwardly of the uprightframe axis.
 3. The harvesting header as claimed in claim 2, said rearmargin of the fore-and-aft draper spaced forwardly of the lateral axis.4. The harvesting header as claimed in claim 2, said crop-conveyingmember positioned between the beams and thereby vertically positionedwithin the discharge opening to project forwardly and rearwardlytherefrom.
 5. The harvesting header as claimed in claim 1, said sideconveyors each comprising a side draper that includes a side draper beltpresenting a laterally inwardly moving run for conveying crop materialslaterally inwardly to the fore-and-aft draper.
 6. The harvesting headeras claimed in claim 5, said side drapers cooperatively forming areceiving opening therebetween, with the fore-and-aft draper beingspaced within the receiving opening.
 7. The harvesting header as claimedin claim 6, said crop-conveying member being positioned above thereceiving opening.
 8. The harvesting header as claimed in claim 7, saidcrop-conveying member substantially spanning the receiving opening. 9.The harvesting header as claimed in claim 1, said cutterbar assemblybeing operable to flex along the length thereof in response to changesin terrain as the header is advanced, said conveyor assembly supportedon the header frame behind the cutterbar assembly to flex therewith,said fore-and-aft draper including a draper frame swingably supported onthe header frame at a draper pivot to project forwardly therefrom, saidfore-and-aft draper including a draper belt supported on the draperframe to present the upper run for conveying the crop rearwardly, saiddraper frame presenting a forward margin and being coupled to thecutterbar assembly adjacent the forward margin such that the draperframe is caused to swing relative to the header frame as the cutterbarassembly flexes up and down.
 10. The harvesting header as claimed inclaim 9, said draper pivot being spaced below the lateral axis.
 11. Theharvesting header as claimed in claim 9, said header frame includingupper and lower beams that cooperatively present an upright framecenterline axis, said lateral axis being spaced forwardly of the uprightframe axis and rearwardly of the draper pivot.
 12. The harvesting headeras claimed in claim 9; and a plurality of laterally spaced apart supportarms being attached to and cooperatively supporting the flexiblecutterbar assembly, each of said support arms being pivotally coupled tothe header frame for swinging movement about a laterally extending axisso that the flexible cutterbar assembly is operable to flex.
 13. Theharvesting header as claimed in claim 12, said side conveyors eachcomprising a side draper that includes a side draper belt presenting alaterally inwardly moving run for conveying crop materials laterallyinwardly to the fore-and-aft draper, said flexible cutterbar assemblypresenting a center section defined along the forward margin of thefore-and-aft draper and a pair of side sections defined along the sidedrapers, with multiple ones of the support arms being associated witheach of the cutterbar assembly side sections.
 14. The harvesting headeras claimed in claim 13, said support arms associated with each sidesection including a pair of laterally outermost support arms and atleast one intermediate support arm located between the outermost supportarms.
 15. The harvesting header as claimed in claim 14, each of saidside drapers being carried on the corresponding outermost support armsand the at least one intermediate support arm.
 16. The harvesting headeras claimed in claim 1, said header frame including an adaptor frame thatsubstantially surrounds the discharge opening and presents afeederhouse-engaging surface operable for mounting the header frame tothe feederhouse.
 17. The harvesting header as claimed in claim 1, saidfloor pan attached to the header frame and extending rearwardly throughthe discharge opening from the fore-and-aft draper to support severedcrop materials traveling from the fore-and-aft draper to the open end,with the floor pan thereby defining the transition area.
 18. Theharvesting header as claimed in claim 1, said central crop-conveyingmember comprising a rotating center-gathering auger.
 19. The harvestingheader as claimed in claim 1, said central crop-conveying memberincluding a body and at least one radial projection mounted relative tothe body, said body presenting a cylindrical outer surface, with the atleast one projection extending radially outwardly from the outer surfaceto engage the severed crop materials.
 20. The harvesting header asclaimed in claim 19, said at least one projection cooperatively defininga forwardmost margin of the crop-conveying member as the member rotates,said forwardmost margin being over the fore-and-aft draper.
 21. Theharvesting header as claimed in claim 19, said central crop-conveyingmember comprising a rotating center-gathering auger, with the at leastone projection comprising flighting.